VENTURA — Prosecutors say they have offered a plea deal to a 15-year-old boy charged with fatally shooting a gay student in an Oxnard classroom.

The Ventura County district attorney’s office says Brandon McInerney can plead guilty to first-degree murder and receive a lighter sentence.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox says the boy, who is being tried as an adult, would receive a maximum of 25 years to life in prison instead of 53 years to life. Fox says the deal was offered because of McInerney’s young age.

Prosecutors made their offer public after a court hearing Wednesday when defense attorney Robyn Bramson accused them of being vindictive.

The judge reset the preliminary hearing to July 20 when Bramson said she needed more time to prepare.

A transit village with apartments, retailers, restaurants and a hotel is rising in Milpitas next to The Great Mall, close to light rail and the under-construction BART station. It’s one of several Silicon Valley projects sprouting up near transit.